Star Wars

American  

noun

1. a U.S. weapons research program begun in 1984 to explore technologies, including ground- and space-based lasers, for destroying attacking missiles and warheads.

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Star Wars British  

noun

1. Formal name: Strategic Defense Initiative.   SDI.  (in the US) a proposed system of artificial satellites armed with lasers to destroy enemy missiles in space

2. (modifier; sometimes not capitals) of, relating to, or denoting this system

   Star Wars defence

   star wars policy

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Star Wars ¹ Cultural  

1. A series of popular science fiction motion pictures created by George Lucas. The first trilogy debuted in 1977 with Star Wars: A New Hope. The Empire Strikes Back and The Return of the Jedi followed in the 1980s. Prequels, Episode I: The Phantom Menace and Episode 2: Attack of the Clones, were recently released. The films are noted for combining classic themes of good versus evil with cutting-edge special effects.

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Star Wars ² Cultural  

1. A popular name, taken from the title of a film, for the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) of President Ronald Reagan. “Star Wars” involves the development by the United States of a defense in outer space against intercontinental ballistic missiles.

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Etymology

Origin of Star Wars

C20: popularly named after the science fiction film Star Wars (1977) by George Lucas

Example Sentences

Meanwhile, Mark Hamill, who portrayed Star Wars protagonist Luke Skywalker, wrote that he and his wife Marilou were "deeply saddened by the loss of our lifelong friend".

From BBC • May 30, 2026

Disney's "Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu" saw the much-adored Baby Yoda and his adoptive guardian sweep the North American box office with an estimated $102 million take through Monday, industry estimates showed.

From Barron's • May 24, 2026

The results are likely a relief to Walt Disney Co.-owned Lucasfilm, which had not released a theatrical Star Wars film since 2019’s “Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 24, 2026

While hardly a flop, the movie will virtually match 2018’s “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” the least-successful film since Disney acquired George Lucas’s science-fiction franchise in 2012.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 24, 2026

Mr. Keeney blasted off like one of the rocket ships in his Star Wars novels.

From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein